David Benjamin Blakeley
'' Caspian David Blakeley'' "Do you ever look at the sunrise, and ask, 'What is more beautiful than this?'" '' - David. Background David Benjamin Blakeley ( changed his name to "Caspian David Blakeley" ), or just ''Benny or David, is one of the main protagonists of the Lost and Stolen franchise. He was the oldest child born to Benjamin and Seraphina Blakeley, in a small nameless plantation in the slaved state of Arkansas. Born after David was Remington Theodore, three years after, and then Wallace Spencer, who eventually perishes due to a terrible fever. In the meantime, they are three brothers, but were convinced, since birth, that Annette Florence McAllister, a distant relative, was their older sister. David is the best friend of Annette, or just Annie, along with the Artwood children. They always spend their time together, no matter what, despite the events in the second novel. Benjamin was killed after trying to set his family free, by Chandler the bloodhound, but it often says David had no remorse for his father's death. David's worst fear is leaving Annie and those he loves forever, for he's been around them for such a long time. Personally, Malcom likes David more than Annie. Also, he has a habit for speaking monologues. Appearance It says that David was born nearsighted, and all he can see is a terrible blur. It hurts when he squints too hard as well, making other people grasp his hand and lead him around. Their age is estimated around twelve, but it also says that they're nearly thirteen, Annie two months older than David. It also says that David is slightly darker than Annie, and looks more like his father than his mother. His black hair isn't too outgrown, cut from time to time, and wears a dirty, oversleeved black shirt and a white loincloth wrapped around his waist, tied by a rope with black and gold beads. Through the series, his outfits change wonderfully, with waistcoats, long trousers, and button-up shirts, all of which very clean. When he goes to save Annie, though, his clothes are dirty and aren't clean at all, since he spends so much time looking for his sister. Relationships Annette Florence McAllister 'is David's best friend and distant cousin. Annette was born two months before David, making her older, and slightly taller. They've been best friends since birth, and have been together, supporting each other. Annette usually write books or poems, or creates things David thinks of. At first, it seemed that Annie was quite the pessimist between the two of them, but as the series went on, Annie seemed to be more positive from time to time, since she's older. Their relationship is quite dependable, since Annie sacrificing herself for David when they were being chased and David goes all the way from Ohio to Arkansas to save Annie from Harris Blythe. In the second book, Annie and David are assigned to a brand-new boarding school, to prepare for life ''and college, but are assigned to different classes, based on something that happened to Malcom in her childhood. They fight from time to time, which bothers them sometimes, but in the end, they're best friends and they'll always be there for each other. '''Remington Theodore and Wallace Spencer Blakeley are David's younger brothers, Remington the older one. The relationship between the three brothers is quite tight but distant, given they hadn't spent a lot of time together - especially Wallace. Remington is three years younger than both Annette and Wallace, and was known for bringing up supportive or absurd comments. Wallace was only fifteen months in the first book, and about three in the second novel, where he perished, due to illness. It is also said in the first novel that the brothers weren't as close, given they spent a great majority of their lives working for Ponsonby and the Blythes. It was said, once more, that they were never separated during Auction Days. In the second novel, Wallace dies due to an rare and deadly illness. Mr. Ponsonby's Slaves are the slaves David grows up with, whether adult or child. They include Benjamin and Seraphina, Ernest and Georgette, Percival and Jane, Joel and Sophia, Marcas and Priscilla, and Lewis and Amandine, for the elder slaves, and Francis and Vivian, Rosalie and Arlington, and Remington and Wallace, for the child slaves. It has been told that Rosalie and Vivian weren't born in Arkansas, so it is theorized that the two were bought into slavery, given that they feel like outsiders. Francis, like them, was bought into slavery, only Arlington and the Blakeleys born at the farm. Arlington is the son of Joel and Sophia, but it isn't revealed until the second novel. Now, David's relationship with Vivian is quite cross and volatile, for an example. Vivian is first chosen to be the oldest of the youngster slaves, and develops an envious relationship with Annie and David, since they're always fighting and yelling at each other, but they're on cooler terms with Rosalie's henchwoman, Rosalie, who doesn't say much, like Arlington. Francis is known for being a strong boy, and despite the fact that David's envious of him, they're on good terms. Benjamin Blakeley is David's father, as said, and is quite off-and-on. Off, because they often fight and don't talk to each other, and on, because they're father-and-son. It is said in the first book, due to David, that they're relationship wasn't actually good, since David believed Benjamin loathed him and loved Francis as a first-born son, even though David was born first of the three Blakeleys. Benjamin, as said before, is killed by Chandler, the bloodhound David takes fondness to, because he believed confessing to the crime unintentionally Annie and David did would set him free. It didn't, hence why he's dead. Besides their conflict, Benjamin shows care for both Annie and David, but only showed disgust towards the boy because he was friends with Seraphina's distant cousin, Rosalind, who had betrayed them shortly before Annie was born. Seraphina Blakeley is David's mother, as said, and does, unlike Benjamin, spend a lot of time with him. In the first novel, Seraphina is known for telling Annie and David not to go beyond the fence, for they could get into a lot of trouble and could get whipped, along with the other slaves. She's the daughter of Quinn and Patience McAllister, the distant relative of Rosalind McAllister, who had the same surname as Patience and Quinn, somehow. Seraphina and David don't fight much, but whenever they talk, it's rather meaningful and open-hearted, and it is shown that David's very protective of his mother, in the second book, when she brings Marshall Brown home, the town journalist. Marshall Brown is David's stepfather, and even though there's not a lot to say about him, it is said that Marshall and Benjamin used to be slaves, and were best friends when they were younger. Seraphina brings Marshall to their new house in Ohio because they had been long-time friends, but the boys are skeptical. Soon enough, they trust him. Timothy and Sibyl Artwood are the Artwood twins, of the twelve children, and are the best friends of Annette McAllister and David Blakeley. They first appear at Ohio School for All, as pioneer children, and very poor as well. They're the first two friends Annie and David have at the school, and don't bully them because they're slaves. When Chandler tracks down David's scent and attacks both Annie and David, the twins intervene and read from HOW TO TRAIN A DOG to save them and soon enough, they do. The four become friends after sharing more information with each other, but their friendship ends drastically when Annie and David find out the twins sold their friends back to Ponsonby and his friends. Luckily, when the two plan to escape, Timothy and Sibyl shut off the lights to give their friends escape, and later, after Annie's taken away, David forgivingly recruits the Artwoods to join him to find her, since they're apologetic and sincerely mean their apologies. Soon enough, they are the best of friends again, and rely on each other. ' The Belleviles' are Andrew, Rowena, Loretta, and Phillip, and they are the Bellevilles. The Bellevilles first appear to David after he steals a loaf of bread from the Bakery. In the first novel, there is only Andrew, Rowena, and adopted Loretta, and they take the Blakeleys home to discipline them. After hearing their sad life story, the Bellevilles decide to not discipline the two, but are quite cross to them, make them sleep in the stables, and assign chores. Shortly, and after hearing the two complain about the Bellevilles, they have a change of mind and let Annie and David have a room and an education. Andrew Belleville, the town's only teacher, allows them to have an education as well, and the first couple of months of school are complicated, since Annie and David didn't know how to read, write, or spell. Soon enough, Annie's taken away, and the Bellevilles join David leave Ohio to find his sister in Arkansas. They end up good friends and rely on each other, as if they had a parent-child relationship. Violet Lyra Calliwell is David's love interest from Found and Returned, Book 2. At first, the two are at a hate relationship, and often fight and make fun of each other. Later on in the story, they develop deep feelings for each other, and even admit their feelings, as well as show it. There are parts of the novel when the two don't spend as much time together, but there is a scene when Violet tells Annie about how she really feels, and David happens to hear her. The two have a personally deep conversation about each other and accept the fact that they have feelings for one another. At the end, the two lock lips together, hence how they feel, but David is quite heartbroken when Violet says that she's going to stay in Michigan. Soon enough, after a year or two, David proposes to her on a certain night, shortly after she comes to visit him, but she says no. A few weeks later, she says that she's going to stay in Ohio, given that she accepts his proposal. The Ponsonbys/ The Blythes/ Chandler/ Fergus McCallis '''are nine slave owners that dreadfully hate each other, but hate the slaves even more. They find as if Annie and David are the center of attention, and often give them hard chores to do. The terrible group makes fun of the slaves, continuously, but in the end, Justine, Ronald, and Felix Ponsonby go to prison, Mrs. Blythe and William Ponsonby perish in a fire, and so does Harris Blythe. His wife seems to have no first name, and it seemed as if Annie and David were trying to save him from death when he fell into the fire pit. Chandler the bloodhound used to be bad, working for the Blythes and Ponsonbys, but he turned good when Annie and David trained him, with the help of the Artwoods. Abilities '''Inventing - David has a keen knack for inventing since toddlerhood, and he usually makes things out of small materials, such as rubber bands or rope. Usually, according to Book 1, he's the "Brains," coming up with inventions, but not knowing what materials to use to make them - which is Annie's job. Since David was mostly nearsighted in the first book, he couldn't move around a lot, but the only thing that he saw that was clear was his inventions, but whenever he wore his glasses, it seemed blurry. Illustrating - David has a keen knack for illustrating, as well. In the first novel, he says that he wants to copy things down, as if trying to draw the scene before him, but couldn't, since he was so convinced he was a slave - before. Soon enough, through the story, his illustrating develops greatly and he yearns to be an illustrator as he does an inventor, but doesn't illustrate just as much as he invents. Trivia * The name, David, is a biblical one and "beloved" was the name's meaning. * David was inspired off of a dear classmate of Malcom's in sixth and seventh grade, and David, from David and Goliath. * It states in Novel 1 that David's age is nearly thirteen and his birthday is in early June. * David was also inspired off of Violet and Klaus Baudelaire, as well as Little Orphan Annie. * David, in secret, still believes Annie is the sister he never had, despite the fact that they are distant relatives. * To get into David's character, Malcom had to watch hours and hours of Television shows that had boys as the protagonists to get into David's perspective. * At the age of fifteen, David proposed to Violet Caskwing, but she first turned it down, saying that she needed to focus on teaching. When she finished schooling, David proposed once more, and she said yes. Later on, they had three children : Nathan David, Oliver Benjamin, and Ambrose Seraphina Durchville, although David calls them "Blakeleys."